Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

The group didn't take much time to rest, primarily because Uzumaki Karin had no intention of doing so. She was practically vibrating with impatience to see her teacher.

From the moment she stepped into Amegakure, her pace quickened. A walk turned into a brisk stride, and a brisk stride turned into a light jog. Her red ponytail bounced behind her head, making her inner joy plainly obvious.

The others weren't particularly tired, either.

For ninjas, long treks were a daily routine. Walking for days, sleeping in the wilderness, and eating dry rations was nothing to them.

Uchiha Sasuke's legs weren't sore, Hyuga Neji's back didn't ache, and Uchiha Itachi's breathing was as steady as if he hadn't been walking at all. They were long accustomed to this.

Just like that, the group ventured deeper into Amegakure, walking without pause toward the other side of the village.

Konan led the way, the hem of her black cloak fluttering in the wind.

Her pace was neither fast nor slow, but she remained at the very front, her steps so smooth she almost seemed to glide.

Their direction was clear: cutting from the east side of the village to the center, and from the center to the west.

Uzumaki Karin followed behind her, her eyes constantly darting around. She wasn't watching the road; she was looking at the buildings and pedestrians on both sides.

Seeing the buildings, streets, and shops, a satisfied look of 'I'm home' spread across her face. From time to time, she raised a hand to greet passersby with a genuine smile.

Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji walked in the middle of the group. They were looking around too, but unlike Karin, they were staring at things they had never seen before.

It wasn't just Uchiha Itachi; by now, Sasuke and Neji's perception of Amegakure had drastically changed.

No, 'changed' wasn't the right word. It was more of a culture shock.

Neji's eyes darted constantly, sweeping from left to right, then right to left.

He saw the lampposts by the road. They were made of iron and stood quite tall, topped with a glass cover that housed a lightbulb inside.

He saw the manhole covers on the ground. They were round, engraved with patterns, and bore the character for 'Rain' right in the center.

He also noticed the metal pipes running down the walls, extending from the roofs all the way to the ground, fastened securely with screws at the joints.

Then, he spotted a two-wheeled contraption.

Someone was riding it, passing right in front of them.

The person sat on a frame, their feet pushing two pedals. The pedals turned the wheels, and the rolling wheels propelled the rider forward. The rider's hands gripped two handles to steer, their body leaning slightly forward as the wind blew through their hair.

They had seen quite a few similar contraptions along the way. Some were parked by the road, some were being ridden through the streets, some leaned against walls, and others lay flat on the grass.

They came in all shapes and sizes—some tall, some short, some with baskets in the front, and others with extra seats in the back.

"What is... that?"

His voice was quiet, laced with obvious confusion. He raised a hand, pointing at the retreating two-wheeled machine.

The fact that Neji had held it in until now was a testament to his politeness.

He simply couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer.

Karin didn't even turn her head. Her voice drifted back from the front.

"Oh, that's a bicycle."

Her tone was casual, as if she were stating the most ordinary fact in the world.

"Teacher invented it, saying it saves manpower. He also invented tricycles, and right now the village is researching four-wheeled ones. But I heard those need to burn oil, and Teacher would rather use electricity."

Neji opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

Truth be told, his mind was buzzing with questions. How did a bicycle work? What did a tricycle look like? How did a four-wheeled vehicle burn oil, and what in the world was electricity?

But he didn't ask, feeling that voicing these questions here might make him look foolish.

Everything here was far too fresh and novel. Many of these things were entirely alien to him, filling him with a sense of wonder.

The group soon passed through Amegakure, heading further west.

The architecture gradually thinned out, transitioning from dense clusters to sparse layouts, from tall buildings to low houses, and finally from houses to farmland. The road remained just as wide and smooth, but the scenery on either side had changed.

There were more trees, fewer houses, fewer people, and more birds.

In the distance, a river came into view.

The water was a clear, vibrant blue, so transparent that the stones and swimming fish at the bottom were perfectly visible. The wide riverbanks were paved with gravel and sand, lined with a dense array of colorful flowers and plants.

The flowers bloomed in thick clusters, forming a vibrant ribbon along the water's edge. The grass was lush and soft, feeling like a plush carpet beneath their feet. The environment was absolutely pristine.

Karin let out a cheer and sprinted straight ahead.

"Teacher, your favorite student is back!"

Her voice echoed across the river, startling a flock of birds from the nearby trees.

Itachi's body trembled slightly, his footsteps faltering for a fraction of a second before he continued walking.

He took a deep breath, his chest rising high, before slowly exhaling. His hands hung at his sides, fingers curling slightly, his palms slick with sweat.

He suppressed the shock in his heart and regulated his breathing, forcing his expression to look a bit calmer.

Itachi's gaze fell upon the riverbank.

A man sat there with his back to them.

He was perched on a small stool, holding a long fishing rod with its tip dipping into the water. A bucket rested by his side.

He wore simple clothes—dark trousers and a light-colored shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His long black hair was coiled atop his head, casually pinned in place with a twig, giving him a spirited look.

The man's back looked completely relaxed, as if he hadn't noticed their arrival at all, nor did he seem to care about Karin's loud cheering.

Sasuke and Neji followed the sound and spotted the figure as well.

Neji instinctively activated his Byakugan. The veins around his eyes bulged slightly, and the light in his pale pupils grew sharper. He scrutinized the man carefully, but his brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

"Strange, why can't I see any chakra?"

His voice was barely a whisper. Since they were twenty or thirty meters away, he wasn't worried about being overheard. His tone carried obvious confusion, along with an indescribable tension.

His Byakugan could see chakra, the chakra pathway system, and the flow through the tenketsu. Yet, he couldn't see a single drop of chakra in this man. In his Byakugan's vision, the man was like a lifeless stone, an unfeeling tree, or a barren patch of dry earth.

As they drew closer, the man turned around.

He stood up from the stool and set down the fishing rod, leaning it against the seat while the tip continued to bob in the water. He turned to face the group.

They finally saw his face.

It was a strikingly handsome face with exquisite, well-defined features. There was an androgynous beauty to his brow and eyes—not the rugged masculinity of a typical man, nor the delicate softness of a woman, but a transcendent beauty that lay somewhere in between.

His skin was incredibly pale, as flawless as jade, porcelain, or moonlight. His hair was pitch-black and lustrous. His lips were perfectly proportioned, the corners turned up in a faint, lingering smile.

But the most captivating feature was his white eyes. They were like dazzling gems, like two pieces of polished white jade set into his face.

A unique light shimmered within those pale pupils—bright yet soft, like moonlight rippling across the surface of a lake. Yet, when those eyes locked onto someone, it felt as though they could see right through them, piercing past bone and flesh to lay bare their very soul.

Even Sasuke, who had grown up surrounded by praise for his good looks and was quite confident in his own appearance, widened his eyes in astonishment.

Clearly, the young Uchiha realized in that moment that he had met his match. This level of handsomeness was something he feared he could never achieve in his lifetime.

Itachi's expression didn't change much, but his eyes narrowed slightly. His pupils contracted, and his fingers curled inside his sleeves before relaxing once more.

He appeared calm on the surface, but only he knew the intense excitement surging within him.

Neji's Byakugan was still active. He stared into the man's eyes—those crystalline, jewel-like eyes—and felt an inexplicable shock rock his core.

Why... why did those eyes make him feel such immense pressure?

The man ignored Karin and instead cast his gaze toward Neji.

His look was calm and gentle, like an adult indulging a child.

"Because people can live without chakra."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was crystal clear, every word enunciated perfectly.

"Moreover, you are still too weak, Neji-kun."

He looked at Neji, the faint smile on his lips never wavering.

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